


It's a Summer Camp Kind of Love

by hentadiles (orphan_account)



Series: Camp Deepwoods Unofficial AU [1]
Category: The Edge Chronicles - Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, F/M, otp: fringe and potatoes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-30
Updated: 2014-05-30
Packaged: 2018-01-27 14:13:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1713542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/hentadiles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nothing ever gets done on the first day of camp, but for whatever reason that day stays with you forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's a Summer Camp Kind of Love

Three hours in the car with her mother and Zoe was officially ready to leave her for two months. The constant nagging, while she knew was out of love and concern, was getting on her nerves. So the sight of the ‘Camp Deepwoods 1 mi. ahead’ nearly brought her to tears.

  
“Zoe, are you absolutely sure you have everything you need?” her mother asked for the thousandth time as they pulled into the parking lot full of parents crying and teenagers dodging their affection.  
“Yes, mom,” Zoe sighed heavily and pushed the car door open.

“Two months is a long time.”

“I know, mom.”

Not long enough, she thought, more than a little bitterly, as she pulled her duffle bag out of the back of the car. It wasn’t as though she didn’t know anyone at the camp, or that her mother couldn’t call her.

“Alright well,” her mother pulled her into a tight hug. “Be safe, don’t cause problems, and have fun.” With a nod Zoe broke away from her and stepped back. She watched and waved patiently as her mom drove away, then turned and yelled across the parking lot at the top of her lungs,

“BELPHINIUS MENDELLIX.”

 

A blond boy with just a slightly curly fringe whipped around, beaming.

“Zoe my love the light of my life!” Phin tore across the parking lot full sprint and gathered Zoe in a crushing hug as though he hadn’t seen her in years.   
“It’s been too long my sweet,” he leaned back dramatically. “And you have not changed one bit, you are as radiant as ever.”  
“It’s been three days,” Zoe fought back a smile.  
“Egads! That long? I swear we shall never be parted for such a length of time again.” He gave her a doofy grin before twirling her around and planting her firmly under his arm. “Come, our royal court awaits.”  
With a flourishing half-skip he led her over to the circle of people that had formed around a growing pile of luggage.  
“Ladies and gentlemen may I present, the future Mrs. Mendellix.” Phin gestured wildly all around Zoe.

“Please, like she’d take your last name.”

“Quiiint,” Phin froze and pouted.

“No he’s got a point, dear fellow,” Raffix chimed in with a smile. “She does wear the pants in the relationship, if memory serves.”

“That was one time and it was a kilt.” Phin pointed accusingly at Raff.

“Twice,” Zoe corrected with a laugh. “And the second one was most definitely a skirt. Kilts don’t come in leopard print.”

“That never happened you cannot prove it.”

“Maris literally has video you nerd.”

“Videos can be edited.” The entire circle started laughing as Phin continued to dodge Zoe’s accusations and counters.

 

“As much as I enjoy this conversation,” Maris finally cut in after letting them go for close to five minutes, “My father is posting cabin assignments and we have unpacking to do before the official start of camp.”

The group bent as one and scooped up their bags before making their way over to the large bulletin board situated in front of the main hall.

“Maybe we’ll be roomies,” Phin prodded Zoe playfully with his sleeping bag.

“Yeah and maybe you won’t get a sunburn,” Zoe prodded him right back with a grin. That boy burned faster than anyone she had ever seen, including Stope and Stope was pale.

 

The cabin assignment were pretty much how everyone had expected them to be, Phin pretended to pout about not being in a cabin with Zoe despite it being clear that they were starcrossed lovers destined to be together. But overall everyone had gotten paired up with people they liked. Zoe could definitely imagine worse situations than sharing a cabin with Maris and Maugin. While she didn’t quite know Maugin that well as the redhead preferred to spend her time with Twig and his cluster of friends, they had ended up at a roller skating party together at one point. (Zoe’s presence there being Phin’s fault entirely; or so she insisted.)

 

Maris linked arms with her cabin mates as best she could given the bags slung over all of their shoulders and hauled them all away to unpack and set up the cabin before dinner and what the head counselor liked to call the ‘Opening Ceremonies’.  
“You ready for these two months?” Maris smiled warmly at the two girls her arms and bag straps were tangled up in. “I’m not saying I have inside knowledge of what’s going to go down but, I have inside knowledge of what’s going to go down.” Maugin smiled and nodded while Zoe let out a snort.

“Maris please, with the wildcard I have the pleasure of calling my boyfriend, none of us know what we’re getting into.”

“We’ll just have to work extra hard to keep our idiots out of trouble,” Maris shot a look over to the other end of the field they were walking through to see both Quint and Phin attempting to climb on to the roof of their cabin. “Ooor not,” she added with a grimace as Quint thumped to the ground.

 

After just over an hour of unpacking, organizing, and just generally getting all of the awkward moments and questions out of the way, Zoe flopped down on her bunk and groaned.

“Why is the first day even exhausting we don’t do anythinggg.”

“Oh don’t say that,” Maris looked up from the sketchbook she had been doodling in. “My dad hasn’t started the Opening Ceremonies yet.”

“Why does he call it that?” Maugin stuck her head out over the top bunk.

“Probably for the same reason he calls Orlis, Wind Jackal.”

“And that is?” Zoe propped herself up on her elbows.

“He’s probably bonkers.”

Zoe and Maugin shared a concerned look and were about to question Maris more on just how ‘bonkers’ the man in charge of the next two months of their lives was when a loud bell sounded from the main hall.

“Well,” Maris smiled and slammed shut her sketchbook, “It’s time for camp to begin.”

“I’m terrified,” Zoe whispered to Maugin as they followed Maris back across the field to where Linius Pallitax, head counselor, was standing on a tree stump that looked completely ready to fall over. Maugin simply nodded back.

 

“Oh Zoe my love,” Phin’s incredibly energetic form crashed into Zoe and he held her to his chest, stroking her hair. “I know I swore we would never be apart again, but I’m afraid I had no choice, the war Zoe, they needed me.”

“Phin-”

“Shh, speak not my sweet, I know how much you have suffered.”

“Phin I’m going to punch you in the stomach if you don’t let go.”

“Yeah, fair enough.” Phin spun her around to face the front and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder. Zoe turned bright red, but every else’s attention was fixated firmly on Linius and his introductions.

“Wind Jackal here is my right hand man, do as he says and we’ll have no problems. If you have trouble remembering his name, feel free to call him what Maris did for the first ten years of her life, Uncle Windy.”

“Dad.” Maris crossed her arms and gave her father possibly the sternest look Zoe had ever come across. As she turned to look at Maris, Zoe felt Phin adjusting his head on her shoulder and shuffling his feet.

“Just doing my job dear,” Linius smiled. “Naturally our chief medical officer is the beautiful, talented, and perfect in every way, Mrs. Yena Pallitax.” The woman next to Linius smiled and gave a small wave. Meanwhile Phin cocked his head just a little more to the side and lightly kissed Zoe’s neck, making her blush even brighter red, thankfully in the fading summer sunlight no one noticed.

“Knock it off,” she whispered and swatted at Phin’s leg, attempting to hide a smile.

“Which brings me to everyone’s favorite part of this speech,” Linius raised an eyebrow. “The Talk.” Maris groaned.

“Do I care if you campers want to pursue romantic relationships while here at camp? Of course not, summer love affairs are what your young teenage brains thrive on after all. All I ask is that, Belphinius.”

Phin straightened up grinning.

“Yes, sir.”  
“Keep it PG.”

“You got it, sir.”

Zoe had never wished more than in that moment that she could just disappear.

“Now for the best part, our head chef and her minions have prepared burgers and the likes for everyone. Get in there and stuff your faces children. And be sure to give Welma and Mrs. Verginix a big kiss on the cheek on your way through the line.”

 

Zoe had expected everyone to break off into their usual groups for dinner, instead, after making their way through the food line, everyone gathered around a long wooden table. The conversation bounced from old teachers to Linius and Wind Jackal telling tales from the ‘Good Ol’ Days.’ and finally around to embarrassing stories. Naturally Maris mentioned Phin asking Zoe out, making Zoe groan loudly into her hamburger. Phin offered to do a dramatic reenactment as he was sure Stope, Quint, and Raff remembered the choreography and there was a mad dash to clap hands over Phin’s mouth before he could start singing.

 

Once everyone had eaten their fill of burgers and strawberry shortcake, Linius stood up at the head of the table and cleared his throat.

“Okay kiddos, no campfire tonight, that’ll start up tomorrow. For now head back to your cabins and get some shut eye. Breakfast is at the crack of 7 and activities start at the crack of 8. Get out of here you hooligans. Lights out is at 10:30.” There was a mass scraping of chairs as everyone rose, deposited their dishes in the wash bin and headed out the door. Phin still clung to Zoe, in fact for the better part of dinner he had been touching her in some way or another. That child needed more physical attention than anyone Zoe had ever met, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

They walked across the field at the back of the cluster of new-found friends holding hands and carelessly bumping into each other.

“Phin,” Quint called out from the path leading to his cabin. “Hurry up, you have to show Tem that thing you can do with a spork.”

“Hell yeah, I’ll be right there,” Phin yelled back and turned to Zoe. “It would appear this is where we must part my darling.”

Zoe smiled and leaned up to kiss him.

“Please don’t hurt yourself with the spork this time,” she laughed, bumping their foreheads together.

“I will most definitely try.” Phin gave her a quick hug and started off in Quint’s direction.

“Love you angel,” he called back as Zoe turned to go to her own cabin.

“Yeah I love you too, you dumb nerd.”


End file.
